STORRS -- On a day that represented everything awesome about college athletics, Warde Manuel took a few minutes to discuss the stuff that isn't.

We start with the awesome. Tents were pitched outside of Gampel 24 hours before the ball was tipped. Pizza and soda were served -- by Kevin Ollie and his players. Leon Tolksdorf carried two crates of Coke. Ryan Boatright handed out the Sprite. Shabazz Napier posed for photos with fans.

Dick Vitale tweeted "Napier vs. Smith 9 p.m. enough said -- 2 of the best can't wait" and, in the hours before the game, proceeded to go nuts in the student section in the lovable way that only Dick Vitale can pull off. Shades on. UConn hat, too. Huge smile.

Now for the other part. The general direction of the NCAA's highly-anticipated two-day convention wasn't too awesome ... baby. Certainly not for the American Athletic Conference.

Reports from the meetings suggested that momentum has picked up for the Power Five to soon have some form of autonomy. A straw vote of the 800 or so administrators in San Diego revealed that 58 percent were in favor of granting self-governance, in some capacity, to the power leagues. According to reports, 27 percent "strongly" supported it while 31 percent simply expressed a regular amount of support.

Eight percent were neutral. Thirteen percent opposed it and four percent "strongly" opposed.

Manuel's vote?

"I'm supportive of, and UConn has been supportive of, one of the big things we want to do is increase scholarship to a level that includes the cost of attendance," Manuel said. "That's one of the big things (the Power Five) wanted to do. We are supportive of that. We have been from the beginning.

"Nothing is set in stone," Manuel said. "But I think in general people are supportive of providing some autonomy to those who have higher resources. I would like to say we're potentially in that group. ... In many respects, based on where we are, we're in that middle ground -- particularly financially. We look like one of the (schools) in those five conferences."

Problem is, the rest of the AAC doesn't. According to the annual USA Today report, UConn ranked 42nd overall at $63.5 million in revenue for 2012.

Then there's a steep dropoff: Cincinnati ($48 million), Memphis (46), South Florida (43), Central Florida (40), Houston (36) and so on. These numbers pale in comparison to even the bottom-tier Power League schools, and the gap is only bound to grow further with the ACC TV contract paying out $18 million annually to its members and The American deal awarding just $2 million and change.

Commissioner Mike Aresco told ESPN's Joe Schad this week, "We may not have the resources some do but we're not poor. Our goal is the highest level."

You have to wonder, though, if that's feasible. And if it's not, if it's just Aresco saying what he has to, the ultimate question becomes: Will the AAC allow certain schools, like UConn, to award player stipends if the rest of the league can't afford it?

"We haven't addressed that because we really don't know what it's going to be yet," Manuel said. "We know what the conversation is about."

On the surface, it doesn't seem a $2,000 -$5,000 stipend should make an enormous difference and cause UConn -- and the AAC -- to panic. But consider: The Huskies compete with Power Five schools for recruits -- particularly in basketball. If those schools can now offer $5,000 per year, man, that's just another obstacle that Kevin Ollie must overcome in maintaining a roster of traditional UConn-type talent.

So, yeah, the direction out of these meetings, the inevitable movement toward autonomy, is a big deal. It's not so awesome for UConn.

As much attention as we give it here in Connecticut, the issue wasn't reportedly discussed at length in San Diego. The "core values" of the NCAA were at the heart of the discussion, and Manuel, according to a Sports Illustrated article, said "revenue" should be added to the list.

His explanation: "We put more and more on the backs of athletic departments to generate revenue -- through ticket sales, donations, television," Manuel said. "What I'm saying is, (revenue) is about what we do. But we're doing it for the right reasons. We're doing it so that institutions don't have to pay as much to support the athletic endeavor."

"So we raise ticket prices and get donations and we've done a lot with television and television has done a lot to support us across the country," he continued. "And because of that, why don't we just admit it? Part of our value now, part of what we do is trying to work as best we can to generate revenue to support athletics so it's not a burden to other campus activities."

Nights like Saturday are big money nights. Nights like Saturday support the field hockey and softball games that generate zero dollars, but give other young athletes a treasured opportunity. And Manuel is right -- there's no reason to hide that.

Nights like Saturday are awesome on another level, too: Dicky V riling up the student section, kids waiting hours for front row seats, the team delivering food and drink.

Of course, the scene leaves one question. What would the NCAA have done if Napier had -- gasp! -- taken a soda and a slice for himself?

Soon enough, with two grand in his pocket, that temptation should no longer exist. Not for athletes in the Power Five, at least.